Growing with confidence, Doucette dominating for Pirates in District 2-3A

Cooper baseball coach Terry Baxter had no qualms about putting senior left-hander Tanner Doucette up against some of the best competition on the Pirates’ schedule.

He saw what he could do last year in his first varsity action against a loaded Coronado team that sent several players to the college ranks. So putting his best pitcher up against the likes of Smithson Valley and Salado early in the year was only natural.

“Tanner stays pretty even keeled no matter what,” Baxter said. “He lost (to Smithson Valley) 4-3 and gave up three unearned runs, but I think he took that and got better from it. The next time out against Salado he went 10 innings, gave up a couple of hits and no runs, then the next time against Frenship it was a 2-1 game. So his confidence is growing every week.”

It’s in the last couple of weeks, however, that Doucette’s experience and confidence has really paid off.

After the struggling through a difficult non-district schedule, the Pirates are off to a 3-0 start in District 2-3A, with a dominating statement made against a good Shallowater team on Saturday.

Cooper blasted the Mustangs, 10-0, at Garland Field behind the pitching of Doucette, who allowed just two hits and a walk while striking out 13.

“It was a really good game and I felt good, had everything working,” Doucette said. “There was a lot of adrenaline and Shallowater was ranked 23rd in the state, and we’ve always had big rivalry against them, so it was a pretty intense game.”

Doucette’s effort makes him this week’s choice as the Happy State Bank-Avalanche-Journal Male Athlete of the Week. But it’s nothing new for him.

The Saturday before, in Cooper’s district opener against Levelland, Doucette won a run-rule shortened five-inning complete game with one hit, one walk and eight strikeouts.

Doucette said the experience gained from last year and the early part of this year has paid off.

“It’s no big deal to me after all these years of going through it,” Doucette said of pitching in big games. “Coronado, Frenship, those are good teams and coming out against those teams has boosted my confidence. Of course, I wouldn’t be there it I didn’t have the defense backing me up.”

Baxter said Doucette’s confidence comes from pitching well in three one-run games to start the season.

“He’s been in some pressure situations,” Baxter said. “He has confidence going out there with a one-run lead and we have confidence in him in that situation. Fortunately we’ve been able to score some runs for him in district.”

Doucette, who features a fastball, curve and split-finger change and opened the season at 78-82 mph, said he’s gotten better with his two-seam fastball after early in his high school career relying on the four-seam fastball.

“It definitely gives more a lot more variety with my pitches,” Doucette said, “and keeps batters guessing and keeps them off balance.”